As children we imitate and model our actions after someone we look up to; this idea of copying never changes as we grow up. In order to be social we are taught to make connections and communicate. “Steal This Film II” states that communication is essentially an act of copying. How we communicate, especially online, is a series of reproduction and shared information to create a connection.
One of the more important points “Steal This Film II” highlighted was the fact that sharing is the essentially at the heart of our existence. We learn from imitation, which is why people don’t know any better when it comes to copyright and control.
One example of this copying controversy was displayed in a wired.com article where a street artist, Shepard Fairey, took a picture from the Associated Press and transformed it into the presidential campaign image “Hope” Barack Obama used in 2008. Because of the profit Fairey made and its prominence across the nation, AP was able to indicate that this was their photo from 2006 that Fairey used without permission. Though we can’t fully explain the motive behind Fairey’s use of the AP photo, based off of what “Steal This Film II” said, Fairey along with many consumers of information most likely didn’t even realize the implications of copying this photo. It seems as if he, like many consumers of the media, simply wanted to share his creativity and standpoint on a prevalent topic and didn’t realize the consequence.
Although this is illegal, it happens all the time. Consumers in the 21st century do not understand the concept of copyright and control because they were brought up in a society where you could download anything off the Internet and use it without recognizing where it came from.
This concept is difficult for not only news organizations, but also aspiring journalists because nothing is truly original content. Somewhere somebody had that idea first, and whether it is intentional or unintentional you took that idea and made it your own.
Although it is a huge challenge for journalists it can benefit them as well. “Steal This Film II,” pointed out that consumers want to be included in on the media and that media consumers are now becoming producers as well. With the use of social media and technology, journalists may be able to use the eagerness of consumers to be active to help their story and create responses and follow up on a particular topic or issue.
Though piracy and copying without permission are illegal, it happens all around us. It will never be stopped, which is why as journalists we have to adapt. While we still have to monitor plagiarism and copyright and be aware of how our information is being used, we also should use it to our advantage to get the word out about an issue. According to “Steal This Film II,” consumers want to be involved in the news, so as journalists we should use the individuals’ eagerness to share information to disseminate information and generate reaction.
Communication and the way consumers share information has changed drastically whether we like it or not. In order to stay relevant and in order to be successful, journalists must not only be precautious of how their information is used but also be aware that consumers sharing their information the proper way may benefit them in the long run.